


Incredible

by bananacabana



Category: Glee
Genre: Angst, First Meetings, High School, M/M, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-21
Updated: 2017-02-21
Packaged: 2018-09-26 02:05:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9857045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bananacabana/pseuds/bananacabana
Summary: Being a teenager is hard. Having to deal with breakouts on your face is hard, having to juggle homework and chores and studying is hard, dealing with bullies is hard - even more so when you're gay and only just out of the closet. But for Blaine, all of these are trivial things, minor details that he has to deal with on the side because what's really hard is being a teenager with secret super powers and knowing that under no circumstances can anyone find out about them.Loosely based on The Incredibles. TW for gay bashing and guns





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello I'm still here! I've been writing this on and off for forever now and I'm so happy to have finally found the motivation to finish it!  
> Quick notes, I was inspired by The Incredibles to write this, the Anderson's powers are lifted directly from the film, Blaine has Violet's powers, Cooper has Dash's etc, I thought they corresponded pretty well with their personalities! Secondly, I haven't written from a season 2 perspective in years so it was super fun to try and revert back to my faves' younger selves!

Being a teenager is hard. Having to deal with breakouts on your face is hard, having to juggle homework and chores and studying is hard, dealing with bullies is hard - even more so when you're gay and only just out of the closet. But for Blaine, all of these are trivial things, minor details that he has to deal with on the side because what's _really_ hard is being a teenager with secret super powers and knowing that under no circumstances can anyone find out about them.

Back in the day, long before the banishment of any and all superheroes, his parents had been legends. The Amazing Anderson and Pamelastic were household names all over the country, hundreds upon thousands of kids decorated their rooms with their posters and they all wanted to grow up to be like their favourite superheroes. Unfortunately, in the adult world, things aren't quite that simple. Crashing through a building to save a man's life may look cool to a 9 year old but that kind of hero work has consequences, consequences that were ultimately deemed far too destructive and costly. It was for the greater good, or so everyone believed, that Superheroes faded into obscurity. The Amazing Anderson and Pamelastic assumed their civilian identities for good, they became simply John and Pam Anderson. They got nine-till-five jobs and bought a house and a car together. Children eventually came along and suddenly the lives they once lived was nothing more than a fleeting memory. The glory days were over and now the most important thing that needed their protection was their family.

It's weird for Blaine to think of his parents as anything other than just that; his parents, but he and his brother Cooper know all too well that their parents are something special. It's in them too, the super human abilities that make them one of a kind. They'd both been told since the moment they could use them that their powers are not to be messed around with. It’s of the utmost importance that nobody else find out about them, or else their lives would be uprooted all over again. Cooper was never really good at following the rules, he was a show off, and caused a lot of problems for the family while Blaine tended to fade into the background a lot. He supposes his ability to turn invisible is somewhat appropriate with a brother like Cooper.

High school is definitely a challenge, Blaine knows it. Even for regular kids it's no secret that high school isn't exactly a cakewalk. Blaine goes to school every day with the constant fear of someone finding out. He's already the gay kid, he doesn't need to be the freak on top of that and he really doesn't want to have to uproot his entire family, not after everything they've done for him. He tries to make friends, Dan and Trevor are nice enough, they smile at him in the hallways, allow him to do group projects with them and eat lunch with them but Blaine doesn't exactly have any friends, real friends. It's difficult, being close to someone means lowering your walls and for Blaine, that could result in disaster. One careless slip is all it will take.

But he gets by. He's happy enough to have casual acquaintances rather than true friendships if it means he can at least survive high school. He can cope with the bullying due to his sexuality. He can manage.

At least that's what he tells himself until Jack comes along, the handsome upper-classman who asked him to the Sadie Hawkins dance. Blaine's heard of him, of course, he's the only other gay kid at this school and ever since Blaine came out he's been showing up more and more frequently. Blaine can't tell exactly if he has a crush on him or if he's just relieved at the fact that he's not alone, that someone understands him, a part of him at least.

They go to the dance together just as friends and it's one of the most memorable nights of his life. He slow dances with a guy for the first time, he gets to know him, really learns about him and it's the closest Blaine has ever gotten to another person outside his family. Controlling his powers isn't a problem at all and Blaine has to wonder why he'd been so scared all of this time. He can do this, he can talk to other people without his secret being compromised, he's sure of it.

By the end of the night, Blaine is dead on his feet and ready to head home, as is Jack. They wait in the parking lot for Jack's dad to pick them up when suddenly, the safe little cocoon that Blaine has been wrapped up in is shattered as the metal clang of a baseball bat reverberates in his ear drums. Jack falls beside him with a thud and Blaine screams. The culprits come into view, bloody sneers on their faces as they look down at Jacks limp form, the pool of blood forming far too rapidly for Blaine liking. He backs up slowly, hands raising to defend himself though he knows there's not much he can do against a baseball bat. Unless...

But he knows he can't, he's strictly forbidden to use his powers in public, let alone in the presence of others. The bat strikes down heavily on Blaine's shoulder and he's sure that it's dislocated as he falls to the ground with a weak cry. The boys above him mutter slurs as they laugh cruelly. Tears gather and fall as the bat slams down again against his back and the agonizing pain is just too much to bear. Blaine screams out for help as his face crashes against the tarmac though this only seems to fuel the attackers further.

With all the energy he can muster, he manages to crawl to where Jack lies motionless, all the while being kicked in the ribs and the backside. He pulls the other boy close to him, relieved that he's still breathing when yet another blow to the back leaves him short of breath. It's then that Blaine understands that this isn't just a particularly violent run in with the bullies. They actually want to do him serious harm, kill him if they can. Blaine closes his eyes and tightens his arms around Jack, trying to muster up the courage to do what he was always taught was forbidden.

He can hear the bat whistle through the air as it inevitably hurtles towards him once more but the blow doesn't come. There's a loud chink, like a sword scraping against a knight's armour, and Blaine opens his eyes to see a hazy purple force field around him and Jack, blocking them both from the bullies' attacks. He hears faintly as they run away, beginning to lose consciousness but thankful that they've finally left. When he's certain they're long gone, he isn't sure if it's five minutes or 30, Blaine finally lets down his shield, only to be met with the stunned eyes of three teachers.

Everything is a blur after that. Blaine hardly knows what he's supposed to do. He waits numbly for the ambulance to arrive, shoulder throbbing. One of the teachers tends to his shoulder but none of them make eye contact with him. Blaine's gaze remains steadily on the ground, splattered with Jack's blood.

"You used your powers?" Blaine's father asks him in a hushed tone as Blaine waits to be discharged from the hospital. Aside from his shoulder, he'd only received minor injuries. Blaine nods weakly feeling nothing but ashamed.

"John, you can't honestly blame him can you?" his mother defends. "He was attacked!"

"I'm not blaming him." John replies in a frustrated tone, "Blaine did the right thing but now we need to make arrangements to move." Suddenly, Blaine is able to add _guilt_ to everything else he's feeling.

It's surprising how quickly everything happens after that night and before he knows it, they're leaving Blaine's childhood home for the last time. He doesn't even get the chance to say goodbye to Jack.

Ohio is nice enough. The halls at William McKinley, look unnervingly identical to those at his old one only with a different colour scheme. Blaine doesn't expect anything to change really, the kids will be just as cruel only now he has the added pressure of being the new kid on his back.

* * *

 

Blaine has no idea how he's even related to his parents. While they once risked their lives day in day out to save strangers, Blaine hides away as much as physically possible. He's a coward and he knows it. Every day, he shows his face in class, takes notes and leaves promptly as soon as the bell rings. The moment he's in the hallway and sure that no one is around he goes invisible. Literally. It's safer this way, he tells himself, if no one can see him then they can't target him.

He can't shake the feeling that he's still at Riverdale, seeing the faces of his old tormentors on the jocks at McKinley even though they've yet to take notice of him. He jumps at every locker slam, almost has a heart attack whenever he sees the baseball team hauling their equipment outside. Everyday things that shouldn't be a threat to him are suddenly so much more terrifying. At his age, his parents were fighting villains twice their size while Blaine is terrified of high school. He feels pathetic.

The glee club is a breath of fresh air, though. He isn't actually in the club, and has never spoken to any of the members or...anything really. It starts one Thursday when he's leaving gym late, having wanted to shower after everyone else had left. He can hear the music from all the way down the hall and follows the sound of the trilling piano towards the choir room. He hides, of course, not risking the chance that someone might see him as he stands by the door anonymously watching the club practice.

It becomes something of a routine. He's always late leaving on a Thursday anyway so he stops to watch the New Directions perform, wishing that he could for once come out of hiding and audition. His favourites are when they take their music to the auditorium. The sound is so much better in there and usually they pull something spectacular, despite there not being an audience. At least that's what they think, they do in fact have one audience member invisible in the back row.

The music is what helps get Blaine through the week most of the time. He doesn't feel particularly threatened at McKinley, not when he hides himself away most of the time, but he certainly gets lonely. He can only blame himself, really, it's not like he gives anyone a chance to get to know him, but every time he feels like today might be the day when he can walk through the school as just him, he chickens out the moment he gets there, the sound of the baseball bat reverberating in his mind over and over again.

His powers are supposed to make him stronger but Blaine feels as though they only give him the opportunity to be more of a coward.

* * *

Blaine has been at McKinley for two months when he lets his guard down for just a moment. The glee club have left the auditorium for the day, having finished their rehearsal and Blaine finds himself at the piano, gently tickling the keys and listening to the soft sound echo around the all too empty space.

"Oh," a voice says, and Blaine jumps at the sound. There's a boy standing in the wings of the stage, looking just as surprised as Blaine feels. "I didn't see you come in." Blaine recognises him immediately as Kurt Hummel from the glee club as he tries to get his heart to stop stuttering in his chest.

Blaine says nothing, he has no words really because of course Kurt didn't see him come in. No one sees him do anything in this school, it's like he's a ghost.

"I left my sheet music here," Kurt explains as he walks towards the piano to retrieve his things.

"Here," Blaine says with what he hopes is a friendly smile, handing over the folder that had been left on the stand.

"Thank you," Kurt says yet he seems hesitant to leave. Blaine is almost glad that he doesn't but he can't help his heart from pounding. "You're in my history class, right? I don't think I've ever actually seen you outside of class."

"I'm Blaine," Blaine says before immediately wanting to slam his head onto the piano, though the other boy doesn't seem bothered by his spontaneous introductory outburst. Instead he smiles before stepping closer once again and extending a hand.

"Kurt," he says. Blaine takes Kurt's hand in his own, and the moment he does he finds that he doesn't want to let go. He feels safe suddenly, despite the fact that the last time he held a boys hand in his own he was almost beaten to death. But there's no one else around, it's just him and Kurt in an empty auditorium and Blaine doesn't feel like such an outcast for just a moment.

"Um..." Kurt mumbles before Blaine realises that their hands are still clasped. He pulls back with a jolt and an embarrassed laugh.

"Sorry," he murmurs, ducking his head and occupying his hands by fiddling with the piano keys.

"I guess I should probably go, my friend is waiting for me," Kurt says eventually. Blaine wants to beg him to stay, just talking to someone for once had been a welcome change but instead he sits in silence as he watches him leave.

Blaine isn't entirely convinced that he's hasn't gone insane, but the next day he decides to try and let his guard down. He attempts to tell himself that it has nothing to do with his chance meeting with Kurt Hummel the night before but in reality it has everything to do with it.

So he might have a crush.

He makes it all the way from homeroom to English without hiding behind his invisibility and he can't help but feel as though every pair of eyes he passes is glaring at him. Nothing happens though, and Blaine regains a fraction of his confidence. He's bypassed the fresh meat stage by now so hopefully he can still slip under the bullies' radar, plus he hasn't exactly done anything to draw attention to himself. He begins to wonder if maybe he can actually feel normal at this school, if his last remaining years of high school don't have to be lived in fear.

And it's all worth it when he passes Kurt in the hallway and earns himself a warm smile and a friendly wave.

He's not quite confident enough to be completely unguarded during lunch so, as usual, Blaine lets himself vanish and eats his packed lunch alone in an empty classroom.

Things don't go quite as smoothly as Blaine heads to Math after lunch. Maybe he gets too far ahead of himself thinking that things could really be better at McKinley because the scowling jock who shoulders him into the locker sure doesn't look like he did it unintentionally. Blaine feels the slam against his shoulder, pain shooting through every nerve. For a moment he fears that it's dislocated again but soon discovers that the reason why he can't move is because he's utterly frozen to the spot. He can't believe he was so stupid as to let this happen.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" comes a voice that Blaine recognises as Kurt's. He glances up to see Kurt's concerned face, scanning him for any real damage.

"'m fine," Blaine mumbles, wincing a little as he moves his shoulder. Kurt places a gentle hand on Blaine's elbow and leads him away from the lockers and the crowd of students but all Blaine wants to do is find a quiet corner where he can turn invisible and remain that way for the rest of the day.

"Are you sure? You don't want to go to the nurse? You're as pale as a sheet." Kurt asks worriedly.

"It's nothing, really," Blaine assures. His heart is pounding at Kurt's gentle touch.

"Where were you headed? I'll walk with you to class."

The shock wears off quickly enough when Blaine is certain that his shoulder really is fine and Kurt's upbeat conversation is the perfect cure for a bad mood. His smile is infectious as Blaine laughs at his jokes and far too suddenly for his liking, he's standing outside his math class, wishing that the moment didn't have to be over so soon even if his shoulder really is starting to throb.

"Do you get bullied a lot?" Kurt asks, face growing serious again, the same worry from earlier clouding his features and Blaine just wants to wipe it away. He much prefers the smile.

"I...I guess. It was much worse at my old school, so I try keep to myself here."

"Didn't you go to the faculty about it?"

"I tried to but it always felt like they thought I had it coming, like I deserved to be treated like that because _hey if you're gay then your life's just gonna be miserable, sorry,"_ Blaine says with a defeated sigh. It's a bold admission considering no one at this school knows that he's gay yet but he trusts Kurt.

"Well you can't spend the rest of high school by yourself. Why don't you come along to glee after school today? You're clearly very musical from what I heard the other day and if you can sing half as well as you can play the piano then you'd be perfect! Plus, you'd have a whole glee club full of people in your corner. That kind of support goes a long way, trust me."

 _Trust me._ Blaine prays that those two words mean what he thinks they do. He hates to think that Kurt has experienced anything like he has but there's a comfort in knowing that he has an ally, that Kurt understands and with any luck actually plays for his team.

Before he really thinks about what he's getting himself into, Blaine is agreeing to meet him outside the choir room after school.

Blaine's life turns on its head after that. For the first time, he can sit in a room full of people and safely say that everyone there is his friend. The glee club may have their ups and downs but they're a family and Blaine is accepted into their midst with open arms after the initial onslaught of insults from Santana which Kurt assures him is her way of showing she cares.

Now he has a table full of people he can eat lunch with and without even realising it, Blaine stops going invisible during school entirely. His new found confidence is rewarded one day with a slushie to the face as he and Kurt walk to History together. The sudden chill is paralysing and Blaine is sure his entire brain freezes over as blue syrup drips down his shirt, causing him to shiver all over. Kurt is beside him, decorated in an equally bright red, casually wiping the worst of it from his eyes and spitting a little from his mouth.

"You'll get used to those after a while."

Despite the fact that he can’t seem to get warm for the rest of the day, Blaine would prefer a slushie to the face than a baseball bat to the shoulder any day. And the added bonus of skipping history and having Kurt's fingers massage his hair in the bathroom sink makes it that much sweeter.

And Kurt is by far the greatest thing that ever happened to him, Blaine is sure. His stomach is giddy with butterflies whenever they speak. Blaine considers him his best friend but he wants so much more and he just doesn't know how to progress things. At first he was sure that Kurt felt the same, they do everything together now but nothing ever goes beyond shy smiles and careful glances. The thought that he's made the whole thing up is persistent and the last thing Blaine wants to do is wreck what they have. He's never felt so close to someone else before and he will gladly take the friendship if nothing more is destined to happen between them but that doesn't mean he can’t hope.

* * *

Blaine should know by now that nothing good in his life can last and for the majority of the time, this is due to one person and one person only.

"Blainey!"

"No," Blaine says, heart sinking as he hears the annoyingly familiar voice of his overly enthusiastic brother.

"Who's that?" Kurt asks, rummaging through his locker as Cooper approaches.

"There you are little brother!" he announces, answering Kurt's question as he places an arm over Blaine's shoulders and pulls him in for a boisterous hug. His movements are sudden and rapid and Blaine is already getting dizzy over his whirlwind of a brother. "This your boyfriend?" he asks innocently while Blaine is dying inside.

"Coop, this is my friend Kurt. Kurt, my brother Cooper," Blaine half-heartedly introduces, silently wishing he could have been born an only child.

"Nice to meet you," Kurt says politely, shaking Cooper's hand.

"Friend? Okay, sure. If you say so."

"Cooper what are you doing here?" Blaine hisses, worried that with one fatal visit, his brother will ruin everything good he has going for him right now.

"I can't visit my brother? Mom told me about what happened at that dance, I was worried."

"Don't pretend you care, that was months ago." So Blaine might be a little bitter that his brother never visited after the attack but he has a right to be. And for him to show up now when he's finally starting to feel like he could be happy again? Blaine wishes his brother were the one who could turn invisible.

"I know and I'm sorry but I'm here now and I want to make it up to you! How about I take you guys out for a bite to eat? We need to catch up and I'd love to get to know your new boyfriend!"

" _Friend,_ " Blaine growls with maybe too much emphasis.

"Thanks for the offer but I actually promised I'd help my dad out at the shop today," Kurt says, his voice suddenly quiet. "I'll see you tomorrow, Blaine." With that, Kurt shuts his locker and leaves Blaine with an unusual feeling that he's done something wrong.

"He's really not your boyfriend?" Cooper asks with genuine confusion. "He is gay, right?"

"That doesn't-" Blaine starts, entirely baffled by the fact that they're related. "Have you dated every straight girl you've ever been friends with? You know what don't answer that," he decides, turning his back on his brother and heading to the parking lot. Cooper persistently follows.

"Well at least now that he's not here I can tell you about my genius idea."

"There it is."

"What?"

"The real reason you're here."

Cooper even has the audacity to look offended.

"Little brother, I am shocked that you have such little faith in me." Baine sighs, hating himself for feeling even the tiniest bit guilty for the jab.

"Fine, what's your genius idea?" he asks with a touch more patience, deciding to at least humour him.

"I have a proposition for you," Cooper says proudly.

"Which is?"

"You and me." Blaine stops in the middle of the hallway, glaring after his brother who turns shortly after.

"Excuse me?" he demands.

"You know, like a dynamic duo, you and me together!" Cooper says excitedly.

"You want me to be your pathetic little sidekick is what you're saying."

"What? That's not what I said-"

"And anyway you're not supposed to be fighting crime, you've already gotten into trouble once for this. We're supposed to be laying low," Blaine reprimands in a hushed tone in case there's still anybody around. The whole thing had been a mess before, Cooper had to go to court after ploughing through a block of offices at lightning speed in pursuit of a jewel thief and ended up being ordered out of town. "Wait a minute, _that's_ why you're here isn't it? You got caught again!"

"Not my fault that Sunny Los Angeles is in fact full of whiny ungrateful little -"

"Okay, okay, calm down. Do mom and dad know?"

"Are you kidding? They'd kill me. Look, Squirt, I know I'm not the best brother, or even the best person but I love doing what I do and I think it's complete bullshit that we're not allowed to even be who we are in public. What did the Supers ever do except save people? I mean isn't a little collateral damage worth it?"

"You're asking the wrong person. I just want to be normal," Blaine admits with a sigh, continuing on his way outside.

"But you're _not_ normal. You're a Super! Better yet, you're an Anderson. Think about it, with your adorable face and my everything, we could easily win back the public on this!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Cooper," Blaine hisses, checking to make sure no one can hear the insanity his brother is spewing. They've finally reached his car and Blaine is fully ready to leave this madness behind him. "We're not gonna change anything."

"Not with that attitude we won't."

"Just face it, it's never gonna happen okay. Why don't you leave the crime fighting to the police and get on with your life. And while you're at it, let me get on with mine."

"Please, the cops can't even catch a cold."

"They caught you," Blaine mutters, "Twice."

Cooper scowls at Blaine's remark and before he has a chance to think up a comeback, Blaine wrenches open his car door and drives home.

Cooper is persistent for the rest of the afternoon, prompting Blaine to seal himself inside his force field for some relief while he does his homework and effectively blocking Cooper out. It's not until their parents arrive home from work that he finally relents, making up what must be lie after lie about his reasons for coming home. Blaine has half a mind to tell them the truth but Cooper is still his brother after all he knows that Cooper would never rat him out.

When he hears Cooper sneaking out in the dead of night, he knows exactly where he's going and prays that he can stay safe at least.

* * *

"How was dinner with your brother?" Kurt asks casually on Monday morning, catching Blaine off guard at his locker. Kurt hadn't texted him at all over the weekend and Blaine had begun to wonder if something actually was wrong but here he is, looking cheerful as ever and all of Blaine's worries melt away.

"Oh, it was...fine," he lies, opting not to tell Kurt that they'd skipped the dinner and argued all night instead. "He can be a handful. I'm sorry if he made you uncomfortable on Friday."

"You mean with the boyfriend thing?" Kurt says with a teasing laugh. "It's okay. I mean you told him loud and clear that we're just friends," he says, not meeting Blaine's gaze.

"Right," Blaine replies slowly. He can't shake the feeling of there being tension between them and with a short goodbye, he leaves Kurt to head to class. Everything _seems_ fine, Kurt is joking and smiling like he usually does but Blaine has noticed a change and he can't put his finger on what. He really hopes Cooper's arrogance hasn't messed things up between them.

When Blaine gets to class, he can't help but notice a buzz amongst the students. Everyone is animatedly gossiping but since the only people Blaine socialises with are the glee club, he doesn't get to hear what rumour is currently circulating until second period.

"Jacob Ben Israel said he was saved by a Superhero on Saturday night!" Tina whispers excitedly in Biology and Blaine's blood runs cold.

"What?!" Blaine hisses and Tina excitedly recounts the story she'd been told.

"Yeah, he said he was walking home when he was jumped by three muggers then out of nowhere this guy dressed all in black and running at the speed of light takes on all three of the muggers!"

"That's impossible," he says dazedly. He is going to kill Cooper.

Throughout the day, he hears various different accounts of what happened, each story wilder than the last.

"He flew Jacob to safety!"

"I heard he shot lazers from his eyes!"

"He punched this guy in the head and it exploded!"

Blaine is amazed at the McKinley High gossip mill.

"You okay? Because no offense but you look sort of like you're sucking on a lemon right now," Kurt asks as Blaine takes his seat in glee club.

"These rumours are ridiculous," he says, scowling. "I can't believe everyone believes them." Kurt laughs and it only irritates Blaine further.

"Some of them may be a little farfetched, but don't you think it's exciting? An actual Superhero in Lima?!" Kurt's eyes are bright with enthusiasm. "Ugh, I bet he's gorgeous, too."

"It's illegal, Kurt. They're not supposed to use their powers like that anymore," Blaine mutters bitterly. For Kurt of all people to fall head over heels in love with Cooper is the last thing he needs.

"Oh, don't be such a bore," Kurt shoots back, "he saved Jacob's life."

"How do we even know if Jacob's telling the truth? I've read his weekly article in the school paper, the guy's an attention seeking rodent and anyone who believes a word he says clearly needs to see a doctor."

"Well if it is all made up then you have nothing to worry about, right? No big bad superheroes here to save the day. So why not let the rest of us have some fun while you sit by yourself and brood."

With a huff, Blaine reaches for his bag under his seat. "Where are you going?" Kurt demands, the edge in his voice now gone.

"I don't feel well." Blaine murmurs before heading out the door. It's not a complete lie because the headache that has been building since second period is finally starting to reach its apex.

Cooper isn't around when Blaine gets home, irritating him further because he wants nothing more than to yell at him for the horrendous day he's had. He knows he probably shouldn't have gotten so defensive with Kurt but he feels as though the life he's worked so hard to build up at McKinley is now crumbling to pieces and it's all Cooper's fault. Although somewhere behind his anger he know storming out of glee club isn't exactly going to help the situation.

* * *

Blaine sits at his desk later that night, attempting to finish the math homework that he had been too worked up to do earlier when he finally hears the front door open downstairs, signalling Cooper's return home. He glances at the clock, surprised to note that it's almost 3am already. Unable to stop himself, Blaine quietly pads downstairs, ready to lecture his brother until he finds him in the downstairs bathroom, rummaging through the medicine cabinet.

"Coop?"

Cooper jolts at the sound, head whipping round at an unnatural speed.

"Christ, Squirt. You scared the crap out of me."

"Oh my god what the hell happened?" Blaine demands, seeing Cooper's face covered in cuts and what looks unnervingly like burns. He notices now how his clothes are singed and Blaine does what any little brother would do, he panics.

"I’m fine!" Cooper says the minute Blaine starts to fuss.

"You can't keep doing this, Coop. You're gonna get yourself killed."

"Say that to the family I just saved from a burning building."

Blaine has no response. His brother _saves_ people and the fact finally hits him that many people could actually be dead right now if not for Cooper. The thought makes him equal parts proud and nervous.

But then he remembers. It was the people, the general public who paved the way to the termination of super heroes after everyone jumped on the lawsuit bandwagon, hoping to get themselves a couple thousand dollars’ worth of compensation for nothing. The very people Cooper risks his life saving.

"It's not fair," Blaine whispers as he begins to rub the burn cream on his brother's face who in turn winces at the application, "that you have to risk your life for people who don't even want to be saved?"

"Of course they want to be saved, you think they'd have wanted me to just leave them there?" Cooper replies in a stern voice. "Look, I'm _fine_. I did no more than what a firefighter does."

"But a firefighter has years of training and experience not to mention heat proof clothing and a whole team of people backing them up and-"

"-And the ability to run at the speed of light?"

Blaine closes his eyes and sighs, long and slow.

"You know everyone at my school knows about you now, right? Some kid you saved has been telling everyone about it," Blaine informs him.

"Dammit," is Cooper's response although he doesn't look all too concerned.

"If you're not careful you'll be caught again. Do you want to get kicked out of Ohio as well?"

"Of course I don't," Cooper says, "but I'm not gonna quit. I'm not backing down on this, Squirt. We deserve to be able to help people and until they force me outta here, that's what I'm gonna do."

Despite his irritation, Blaine goes to bed with just a glimmer of pride for his brother.

* * *

"So, you're mad at me..." Blaine says nervously. It's not a question, because the way he stormed out the day before was beyond childish. It's not just that though. Ever since Cooper came into town Kurt has been acting different. Kurt glances at him from the corner of his eye, closing his locker and walking slowly to class, allowing for Blaine to follow. "I'm sorry, I was just having a bad day. I got into a fight with my brother and - well, I lashed out when I shouldn't have. I took it out on you which was definitely not cool and...did I mention I'm sorry?"

Kurt pauses in the hallway, allowing Blaine to catch up and face him properly. His face is unreadable and Blaine's chest stutters with the realisation that maybe he's actually messed this up for good. And it's all Cooper's fault. His stupid, arrogant brother with a hero complex the size of Ohio.

"Usually a sufficient apology comes with a cup of coffee, non-fat mocha if you're unsure, but I'll let it slide just this once." With that Kurt smiles, allowing Blaine's fretting heart to finally relax and take a breather. Kurt never ceases to surprise him.

"Duly noted," he says as Kurt continues on his way to class, at a slower pace this time so he and Blaine can comfortably walk side by side. "I don't..." he begins, unable to ignore the need to explain himself a little more, "I don't hate superheroes," Blaine says because, well, he doesn't. The amount of people his parents alone helped back in the day and even Cooper now. People's lives are _saved_ , he'd be some kind of monster if he thought it was wrong but...he doesn't know. Maybe it's jealousy, that Kurt is so enamoured with Lima's anonymous hero, maybe it's guilt that he's not brave enough to do the same thing, that he's the only person in his family who's never actually saved a life. "Like I said, bad day."

"Is everything okay?" Kurt asks, sudden concern bleeding into the question to replace the carefree tone from moments ago. "You seem kind of on edge, you haven't quite been yourself since last Friday." Blaine sighs, _God_ is he that readable.

"I'm...fine it's just. You don't know my brother. He's a lot to handle. He's...I'm not saying he's a bad person but he can be kind of oblivious to other people's feelings like, all the time."

"Like when he insisted I was your boyfriend?" Kurt asks carefully, almost as though he's testing the water, pushing for something. It's the second time Kurt's brought it up in as many days and Blaine wonders if maybe..? Or maybe it's just his hopefulness interpreting. The ball is in Blaine's court, he realises now could be the perfect opportunity to just - say - _something_. In any case, he can't bring himself to reject the notion entirely in front of Kurt, it feels too much like a full stop, that's the end of that, case closed, class dismissed. He doesn't want Kurt to think he's not interested because he _wants_ this, so badly he wants to just tell Kurt that yeah, he likes him as more than a friend, he wants to be his boyfriend, he wants to take him on a date and kiss him at the end of the night and just be a normal teenager for once in his life.

But if he's wrong...he just can't face the idea of rejection. The humiliation of it, the disappointment, the _pity_.

There are a hundred words on the tip of his tongue, all wanting to jumble out at once in a landslide of incomprehension, there's no way he can condense everything he's feeling into a measly sentence but he has no choice but to try.

"Actually," he begins, palms sweating at the fact that he's about to say what he's about to say, "Kurt, I was wondering if you -"

The bell rings, an intrusive wailing filling the entire hall and cutting off the rest of Blaine's tentative question. He freezes, mouth gaping as the words die on his tongue.

"Blaine?"

He finds now that he can't finish it. He can't physically push the words out now that he's had a fraction of a moment too long to think and he's slammed his foot on the breaks, keeping his heart locked up in an impenetrable safe behind his ribs.

"I - Sorry, I have to get to class, Mrs Downing will kill me if I'm late again."

_Coward._

* * *

"Why do you have a face like you've just witnessed a puppy get hit by a bus?" Cooper asks as Blaine miserably slumps on the sofa that afternoon, arms crossed over his chest as he counts the threads in the carpet, decidedly ignoring the pile of homework currently upstairs on his desk.

Blaine grumbles in reply, not in the mood.

"Squirt?"

"Don't call me that."

"Fine. _Blaine_. What's wrong?"

Blaine looks up, confusion clouding his face. His brother never calls him simply by his name. It's always some ridiculous nickname or condescending remark. He's surprised to find that his brother actually looks _concerned_.

"How...how do you be so confident all the time?" he murmurs, kicking his socked feet against the carpet as his gaze falls downwards again. He thought that he would be able to reinvent himself at McKinley and finally be someone actually worth being but he still flinches at every tiny noise and he's barely brave enough to be honest with his best friend about how he really feels. He's a coward and he knows it.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm pathetic, Cooper. I can't - I can't do _anything_. All I do is hide away and - "

"Hey, hey, where is this coming from? What's going on? Is everything okay at school? We can get you transferred again if you need -"

"No I...This isn't about the school, it's about me. I can't - just how do you do it? How are you always so sure of yourself? Why do you get to be the one who's so confident while I have to be _this._ " He doesn't mean for it to come out like an accusation but he can’t keep the edge out of his tone. Cooper sits beside him, resting forward, elbows on his knees as he gazes across at Blaine.

"I don't know," Cooper answers simply. "I guess I just never really think about worst case scenarios. I just act." Blaine scoffs because _yeah you got that one right_. "And hey, you've got a lot of things I don’t. You're a lot nicer than I am for one thing." Blaine rolls his eyes.

"You're the one who risks his life every night to save strangers you don't even know."

"Yeah, but we both know I do it for the fame more than anything else," Cooper jokes with a smile and a nudge. All Blaine can offer is a tiny ghost of a smile.

"I just feel so powerless all the time," he confesses, somehow shrinking into himself even more.

"You realise how ridiculous that sounds right?" Cooper says. "You are literally, physically the opposite of power _less_." Yeah, which makes him feel about a thousand percent worse about himself, thanks Cooper.

"My powers aren't like yours, or Mom's or Dad's, Cooper. All mine do is make it easier for me to hide, to be a coward."

"Blaine, your powers don't _define_ who you are. It's what you do with them that counts." Blaine's eyes narrow.

"If this is another attempt to get me to be your lame sidekick," he scowls.

"It isn't, although I am still hoping to change your mind about that but what I'm saying is you've used your powers to protect yourself and that's _okay_. God knows you needed to. And don't forget you saved that other kid who was with you that night too. Dad said you shielded him as well as yourself. You're not powerless, you probably saved that kid's life."

"I..." Blaine begins to protest before the retort flickers away. He barely remembers anything from that night, tries not to think about it if all possible, but he remembers clinging to Jack, crawling over to him as his shoulder _burned_ with sheer pain while those guys beat him relentlessly so he could shield them both. He hasn't thought about Jack in a while, he wonders if he's okay. "I guess."

"You can do amazing things, Blaine. With or without your powers and if that's not enough reason to be confident in yourself then I don't know what is. You just have to give yourself a little more credit," Blaine chances a smile, tries to believe what Cooper is telling him. It's hard but, well, a lot of things are hard.

"Thanks, Coop."

"Well," Cooper says with a shove to Blaine's arm before he stands, "I've used up my quota of sentimentality for this year, I'd better get going."

"And there's the asshole brother I know so well, I wondered where you'd gotten to," Blaine deadpans.

"Helpless victims await. With any luck I might actually save a hot girl for once."

"Be careful!" Blaine calls after him as he heads for the front door.

"I'm always careful," Cooper says and Blaine can only wish he could be as sure of himself as his big brother is. "Oh and, Squirt?" Cooper calls over his shoulder, half out the door, "Just ask him out, okay? The worst he can do is say no. Which he won’t." he says with a smirk before the closing the door behind him.

* * *

That night, as Cooper is out doing god knows what, Blaine wonders if he could really do what his brother does. If it wasn't against the law, if Supers were actually allowed to go out and help people like they used to, would he be brave enough to do it? He wants to say yes, he wants to convince himself that the only reason he doesn't is because they're _not allowed_ but...there's honestly no point lying to himself. It’s an excuse, that's all it is.

What would he even do anyway? His dad was able to toss an entire car at a villain to stop them getting away, his mom could stretch herself into any shape she liked, wrapping a single arm around a bank robber like a boa constrictor, and Cooper can tackle a mugger to the ground and carry the victim to safety in the blink of an eye. What can Blaine do? Blaine can hide in a bubble, that's what Blaine can do. His powers clearly weren't meant for anything but protecting himself.

He's attempting to finish up the last of his homework, head resting on his hand as he stares at any place that isn't the open book in front of him. With his free hand he forms a tiny orb with his fingers, hazy and purple and glowing slightly. He plays with it for a few moments moving it between his fingers before letting it vanish. Even if he was brave enough to use his powers for something, what would he even do with them?

Another thought intrudes as he watches the bubble dissolve. What would Kurt think if he ever knew? The Blaine that Kurt knows is just a teenaged boy, nothing remarkable, just a slightly shy boy who kind of likes to sing. If Kurt knew that he could do _this_ , if Kurt knew that he was related to his parents, the two biggest superhero names in America, there's no way he'd look at him the same way. Would Kurt think he was weak for not following in their footsteps? The way Kurt's eyes lit up, the way he way he was talking about Lima's mystery superhero was like he was some kind of God. Blaine will never be able live up to his own name.

* * *

"You know junior prom is next month, right?" Kurt casually mentions the next afternoon. Blaine had invited him over after school, wanting to spend more time with him and also knowing that with Kurt in the house Cooper won't bug him endlessly about becoming his stupid sidekick. Blaine tries not to react but he can't help but physically flinch at just the mention of prom. He can't believe it's been almost a year since that night, he still feels the dull ache in his shoulder from where it had been dislocated, he still feels the fear churning in his stomach every time his thoughts come anywhere close to thinking about what happened. How happy he had been, how it all came apart so fast. He should be over it by now but he’s far from it.

"Yeah, I don't think I'm gonna go."

"Oh," Kurt says in a tiny voice, sitting cross legged on the bed as Blaine faces away at his desk. "Why not?"

"I..." Blaine stutters, the last thing he wants is for Kurt to know about that night. He should have seen it coming. It's a simple question but with such a complex mess of an answer. "I...don't think I _can_ ," is the most honest answer he can come up with.

"Blaine?" Kurt asks gently, sensing the restraint in his voice, sensing the uncertainty. God, why does he have to be so readable, why does Kurt have to be so good at reading _him_ in particular? _Because he's perfect for you_ , a voice in the back of his mind insists. Blaine swivels in his chair to face Kurt, trying to keep the fear from showing itself.

"It's just, _Prom_ ," he says, like that in itself is an answer.

"What about Prom, Blaine?"

He can still hear himself screaming, his own voice sounding like it can't possibly belong to him. He can remember seeing Jack lying motionless on the floor, He can remember the look of pure hatred on those guys' faces. _It's in the past, it's in the past, it happened but it's in the past._

"Prom didn't exactly end well for me at my last school," he whispers. Kurt is silent, giving Blaine the space to work through exactly how he's going to say this. "I went with my friend, the only other out gay guy at school, we thought it'd be fun we..." He breathes in, preparing himself, he shouldn't be afraid of talking about it, they're just words, memories, they can't hurt him now. His voice is oddly calm when he continues. "Afterwards, we were in the parking lot waiting to be picked up when these three guys came out of nowhere, one of them had a baseball bat, they started...they hit him so hard he was unconscious before I even saw what happened and then they...they wanted to kill us, I know they did, and they probably would have if I - " he cuts himself off, horrified at what he'd almost just confessed. " - If the teachers hadn't come out when they did..." he finishes meekly.

"I'm so sorry," Kurt whispers, expression drawn. "That's - That's awful, I can't even imagine." Blaine shrugs. It is what it is.

"Are you going?" Blaine asks, wanting to get the subject of conversation away from that night.

"I don't know," Kurt answers, "I mean, it's not like anyone has asked me and I don't really feel like being stuck with Rachel complaining for the entire evening because Finn's taking Quinn." Blaine laughs, the glee club drama was a lot to take in when he first joined. He's managed to stay out of it and has maintained a morbid interest in the current affairs and who's currently dating whom. It keeps him entertained at least. "Maybe we could, I don't know, go see a movie or something that night instead? We'll leave prom to the straight people and the wannabe prom queens."

The thing is, Blaine wants more than anything to go to the prom with Kurt. He wants to wear the tux and pick Kurt up from his house and dance with him until midnight but he can still remember the sound of the bat clanging off the edge of his force field, he can remember the way his heart pounded in his ears wondering if they were gone, if they were safe. _Courage, have courage, for once in your life stop being so afraid._

_Just ask him out, the worst he can do is say no._

"Kurt? Do you..." He sucks in a breath, "do you want to go to prom with me?"

* * *

Blaine has no idea what he's doing but for the first time in his life, the thought doesn't worry him. He's going to go to prom and he's going with a cute boy who makes his heart feel weightless inside him.

They're not exactly dating, not really. Nothing has changed between them except the fact that now there's this looming possibility that something _could_ change between them. Like they're both waiting for this huge monumental shift to take place. It's strange.

The mall is busy despite it being quite early still. Kurt had insisted that they had no time left to waste if they wanted to get the perfect outfit and Blaine was more than happy just to spend a Saturday with him. He was expecting they'd just be renting their tuxes like everybody else but when Kurt drags him to the fabric store on the far side of the mall, he suspects that they're not going to be attending prom in any standard outfits.

They spend _hours_ looking at fabrics. Actually, Kurt spends hours looking at fabrics, Blaine spends hours looking at Kurt. Blaine has no idea what Kurt has planned, simply gives a thumbs up or thumbs down to all the patterns Kurt suggests until Kurt finds a roll of black watch tartan, eyes lighting up.

"This is perfect!" he exclaims, feeling the thickness of the fabric between his fingers. "What would you say to an homage to the recent royal wedding and the late Alexander McQueen?" Blaine can't pretend to know what Kurt is talking about.

"Uhh, I would say...Awesome?" Kurt claps his hands in clear delight.

"This tartan is perfect for the kilt, I can't believe I found it!"

"Wait," Blaine says piecing together what he can, "You're going to make a skirt?"

"Not a skirt, a _kilt_ , they’re traditional ceremonial dress in Scotland.”

"You're not Scottish."

"Blaine -"

"I'm not saying it doesn't sound incredible but...I just don't think we should be drawing attention to ourselves. We don't want to give them a reason to..." He can still hear the sickening crack of the baseball bat against Jack's temple. He pictures Kurt being the one lying there unmoving on the ground, imagines clinging to Kurt's limp body instead of Jack's. It fills him with cold fear.

Blaine knows Kurt doesn't like being told what to do or how to dress and Blaine loves the bold fashion choices he makes but he just wonders if maybe this is too far, if this will push the bullies to go that little bit further, give them more of a reason to _hate_.

"Blaine if we let them scare us, if we let them control how we act and dress and _feel_ then they win, don't you see that?"

 _No_ , Blaine thinks, _they win when they beat us half to death_.

"Okay," Kurt says gently when Blaine doesn't reply, surprising him with his acquiescence. "I get it. It's okay. If you really don't think I should wear it then I won't. But I'm still going to make it, because it would be a crime to make anything else with this material," Kurt states with a smile, making Blaine feel just slightly more at ease. He breathes a sigh of relief. Honestly, he loves Kurt the most when he's brave and bold and unashamedly himself, but he can't risk it, he can't risk _that_ happening again. "Come on, let's keep looking," Kurt says, slipping his hand into Blaine's.

Kurt eventually picks out the perfect fabrics for them both despite Blaine's insistence that he doesn't mind renting one and that Kurt doesn't have to go to the trouble of making Blaine's outfit although secretly he’s thrilled at the idea of Kurt making something tailor made to fit him.

They're still hand in hand as they leave the store, Kurt happy with his choices and Blaine happy that he doesn't have to compare thread counts for a second longer. He's very much aware of Kurt's hand sitting comfortably in his own, it feels right, like it was meant to sit there, like nothing can possibly be right unless Kurt's hand is in his.

They're not dating, he tells himself, not wanting to get his hopes up, they're just going to prom together.

They're headed towards the food hall for lunch, discussing Quinn's callous attempts to win votes for Prom Queen when they hear it. It's deafeningly sudden, like an explosion except unnaturally brief, emphasising the cold silence that follows before finally there's a scream.

Someone has a gun.

"We need to go," Kurt says urgently, people are already running, chaos quickly descending. Kurt tugs on Blaine's hand but Blaine just lets his fingers slip away. "Blaine!"

He's frozen to the spot, people are going to get hurt, _killed_ , maybe they already have. He knows what that fear is like, the feeling of complete helplessness in the face of sheer hatred. Blaine can’t move. He’s the only one here who has any chance at stopping the shooter.

 _Courage_.

If there's a chance he can stop the worst from happening then it’s his duty to do everything in his power to do so.

Pulling out his phone he sends a brief text to Cooper, _Mall Shooting Help_ before taking off in a run.

" _Blaine!"_

"Go! I'll be right there! Call the police!" Blaine calls over his shoulder, heart pounding as he tries not to think about what exactly he's getting himself into, the consequences of what he's about to do. He turns the corner onto the food court, sees not one shooter but four of them. One has his gun pointing upwards towards the roof, he's the one doing most of the shouting, yelling at the crowd of people on their knees. The other three have their guns aimed on them, daring them to move even an inch. There's roughly thirty people, each one at the mercy of these men. Blaine stays glued to the spot, calculating his odds, he can take down one, maybe two, but not four. _God_ what is he doing, he can't even look the football team in the eye, what good is he going to be up against four guys with _guns_? He tries to work out a strategy before they see him, but then three more gunmen appear with another crowd of hostages, all with their hands behind their heads as they join the ones already on their knees on the floor.

That makes seven. Seven gunmen and at least fifty lives at stake. He takes a subconscious step back, ready to run, he should have just left it to Cooper, he should never have...there's a woman crying, holding a little boy, her son probably, to her chest. She's shaking her head, her entire body is trembling.

"I said _hands in the air_ ," one of the men screams, pointing the gun at her, she wails as she clutches her son tighter, too scared to do anything but hold him. Blaine knows what he has to do.

"Leave her alone," he demands, taking a step forward while he fights to keep his voice steady and firm despite the tremor in his hands.

"Blaine," comes a terrified plea behind him.

Kurt.

 _Shit_.

The gunman turns to him, nothing but pure rage in his eyes.

"You got a death wish, kid?" he spits, pointing his gun at Blaine. He hears Kurt's breath catch behind him. Whatever happens to him, so be it, but now Kurt is involved, Blaine absolutely cannot let Kurt get hurt because of him. He tries to shield him with his own body, the gun pointing directly toward his chest.

"None of these people have done anything to you."

"On your knees, both of you."

"Just let them -"

" _I said on your knees."_

Kurt is tugging at his sleeve as he kneels down, begging him to do the same, to obey, to just do what they say and pray that they make it out alive.

"You got until the count of three," The gunman says.

" _Blaine!_ " Kurt begs, with a sob.

"One."

"Blaine, just do as he says, please!"

"Two."

He shoots before he gets to three.

But Blaine is faster. Without thinking he throws a force field around the gunman, entrapping him within a purple bubble. The bullet ricochets off the shield, sending it back into his own shoulder, he yelps and stumbles to the ground as the bubble dissolves but it's mostly from the shock more than anything, Blaine knows he isn't down and out. It's still seven against one.

Blaine stands hand still outstretched before the gunman. All eyes are on him as well as the barrel of six more guns.  There's a moment of stillness, pure silence before the gunfire descends upon them. Blaine flings up another shield around Kurt and himself just in time to hear the unnerving sound of bullets pattering against the surface of the force field. If he were to close his eyes it could almost sound like raindrops. Kurt is still on his knees beside him, he had covered his face with his arm as the men had begun to fire but now, realising that he hasn't been shot, he lifts his head slowly, daring to look around him. He lets out a short laugh in amazement at what he sees.

The firing stops after a few short moments, once they've realised that nothing is getting through.

"Come and fight us or it's the hostages that are gonna pay." One of them says, aiming his gun at the mass of innocents. The others follow suit, all except one who keeps his gun trained on Blaine.

Hostages. What are they holding them hostage for? What do they _want_?

Blaine lets his force field down. He can't make one big enough to cover a crowd that big. He needs to _think_ of something.

"This isn't the one is it? We can kill this one, right?" the one with the gun pointing at him asks with a sick smirk, eyes never leaving Blaine's.

"Boss just said he wanted the speedy freak," another confirms.

 _Cooper._ That's what they want, that's what the hostages are for. They're waiting for Cooper and he's on his way here right now because of Blaine.

With a running start and fuelled only by adrenaline and fear, he throws another force field up around the guy facing him, ensuring his bullets only ricochet dangerously back towards himself. He forms second bubble around another guy's gun, wrenching it out of his fingers and flinging it across the hall. Five left to deal with, one already has a bullet in his shoulder.

A gun is aimed at the hostages but the moment the trigger is pulled Blaine already has a force field in place directly in front of the gun, the bullet deflects back, narrowly missing the shooter as it skims past his ear.

"Just _shoot_ him!" One of them yells and Blaine disappears, body vanishing into nothing. He runs amidst them while they're still confused and punches one in the face. It's not enough, not nearly hard enough to knock him out but hard enough to stun him for a second so Blaine can wrench the gun from his hands and toss it. 

Two unarmed, one still trapped in a force field, that leaves four left. He can do this.

The guy still in the force field is desperately trying to break his way out, stabbing at the wall with his gun but it's useless. Blaine takes control and rolls the ball slightly, the guy inside losing his balance and slipping over, before hurling it at the group of shooters, knocking half of them off their feet like bowling pins. One seems to be knocked out cold but one of the unarmed guys just takes his gun. No improvement on before, but it seems to have stunned them enough to give him an advantage.

"That's enough!" Blaine spins on his feet, heart stopping when he sees the woman from earlier with a fist in her hair and a gun pressed against her temple. Her little boy crying and clinging to her legs. "Show yourself or she's dead," the gunman says, eyes flitting wildly around the hall.

Blaine can't stop that bullet. He can't physically put a force field between her and the gun. He fades back into view and the gunman's eyes settle on Blaine. "You make one move and she gets a bullet in her skull alright?" The woman sobs, her whole body shaking.

He can't do anything. If his fingers so much as twitch to form a shield he'll shoot her. "These hostages aren't supposed to die for _your_ sake, you got that?"

He's trapped. It's checkmate. There's a gun aimed directly at him. It's over. Because what can he possibly do? It's him or her.

"Say your prayers bubble boy."

Blaine closes his eyes, but instead of a gunshot he hears instead what sounds like a faint whistle and then a _thunk_ of a body hitting the floor. Confusion opens his eyes again, the woman is free, kneeling on the floor sobbing into her son while the shooter lays on his back.  He can't see anything, can't work out what happened until a sudden blur sweeps past him and barrels into the guy pointing a gun at Blaine. The next thing he sees is the man standing there helplessly unarmed.

It's all too fast. Unnaturally fast.

"Cooper!" Blaine yells simultaneously overjoyed and terrified. Cooper is what they're here for, this is where the real fight begins.

Cooper appears suddenly in front of him, skidding a little on his feet.

"Looks like I got here just in time," he says with a cocky smirk.

"Look out!" Blaine casts up another force field as more bullets rain upon them. "Do you have a plan?" Blaine asks, letting the shield down once the firing stops.

"Besides taking down these assholes? Nah." With that he disappears into a blur again, leaving Blaine to think on his own. Another gunman goes for the hostages again, but before Blaine has barely moved an inch to stop him the man has already been tackled to the floor and, with a snap, Blaine is sure his arm is broken. He's quickly finished off and knocked unconscious when what must be the butt of his own gun is thumped into the back of his head

"Shield the hostages!" Cooper orders, appearing momentarily before vanishing in another impossibly quick blur.

"I can't shield them all!" Blaine yells at nothing, eyes unable to follow Cooper’s rapid movements. "I can't make one big enough."

"Okay, first rule of being a superhero," Cooper states, appearing again in front of Blaine for a brief moment, "never let your opponent know your limitations, idiot."

Blaine rolls his eyes because _Of course_ Cooper would be his usual arrogant self in a situation like this.

There are two men still remaining with their guns, a third left unarmed and the final man who is still conscious seems to just be recovering from is hamster ball experience within Blaine's force field earlier, though he does still look a little wobbly on his feet. His gun hangs limply by his side but he isn't currently posing a threat to anyone. While Cooper is busy trying to disarm the last remaining gunmen, Blaine hurries over to the hostages. Kurt is with them but Blaine can't bear to look at him. He doesn't need a reminder of everything he's messed up by revealing who and _what_ he is. He just needs to make sure they're safe, all of them.

Blaine tries to forms a shield around them but it's not big enough, fitting only seven or eight people inside. He tries again, manages to gain a little bit more volume but it's no use, it fizzles way before it’s even fully formed. There's no way he can make one big enough. Looking back at the fight, his eyes fall on the man dizzyingly trying to find his equilibrium when an idea comes. It's insane, but insanity seems to be the only thing that's working for him right now.

"I'm gonna get you all out of here, I just need you all to trust me, okay?" Blaine says to the hostages but only half of them are listening, the rest glued to the fight taking place before them. He can only take a few at a time, but it's the best he can do. Unsure if his plan will even work, Blaine forms a force field in front of him, engulfing six of the hostages. "Stand up," he tells them, "Now just run, I'll keep you shielded until you're far enough away, the shield will roll with you."

No one moves and Blaine is on the verge of yelling at them until one of the hostages, a teenager by the looks of it takes a step forward, tilting the ball with him. It's unsteady at first but soon everyone inside is working together to push themselves forward. Blaine could laugh at how ridiculous it is but it's _working._

"Okay, next group," he says, once the first group have turned the corner to safety and Blaine has dissolved the force field. "Kurt," Blaine says, finally looking at him but not meeting his eyes. "You too."

"I'm not going anywhere, get everyone else out first."

" _Kurt_." He still doesn't move. They're wasting time, he needs to get everyone out as quickly as possible. There's no time to argue so he just nods, forms a force field around the next group and lets them get out.

Glancing over his shoulder, Blaine checks how Cooper is handling things. He can't see much of what’s happening but can deduce that there’s only one guy left with a gun. The other two are attempting to swing punches at thin air as Cooper swerves them. The last guy is nowhere to be seen.

He's on his fourth group of hostages now, the crowd thankfully beginning to thin. He can't make more than two shields at a time and he needs to keep one hand free in case there's a gun pointed at them at any instant. Still, little by little, he is getting them out.

There's a gunshot and Blaine's first thought is of Cooper. Even with the searing pain burning through his left arm, his mind can't comprehend what's going on as he panics over his brother.

"Blaine!"

Kurt is wrapping his scarf around Blaine's arm, pulling it tight to form a tourniquet. They're both on their knees, when did that happen? Why is everything so fuzzy? He needs to get the hostages out he needs...that's a lot of blood.

Oh.

 _Oh_.

He chances a look over his shoulder, Cooper has already taken care of the shooter, the one who Blaine had lost sight of earlier. Luckily he was still somewhat wobbly, if his aim had been any better...

Blaine grits his teeth against the pain as Kurt finishes tying the scarf. There's no time to think about it now. They can’t be out of the woods yet. Cooper seems to be doing fine though, there's only one man left conscious now. Maybe Blaine can afford to relax...he's so tired.

Just as Cooper easily knocks out the last of them, when Blaine is about to slump into Kurt and sleep for a week, there's laughter, a sickeningly evil sound as a man strolls towards them. He's dressed in a white suit, his tie is decorated with cogs and his round face looks almost like it's being stretched from end to end with the way he's grinning.

"Please excuse my henchmen’s incompetence, although I did enjoy the show you put on for me, very entertaining, but unfortunately, you've wasted quite enough of my time already." he says and Blaine can't tell if it's with amusement or annoyance. They guy is wearing a grin like nothing he's ever seen before, like he knows he's already won, like he can't wait for everyone else to find out what he already knows.

“Tick Tock,” Cooper snarls as he runs towards him but in the same moment he snaps his fingers and everything stops.

No. Everything...slows. Painfully, impossibly slow to the point where it looks like nothing is moving at all. Even Cooper, who can move so fast you can barely see him is now running at a normal, human pace and Tick Tock heaves with laughter, unaffected. He snaps his fingers again and, somehow, things slow down even more. Even Cooper is slowed down to a crawl.

He’s a Super. Worse still, his power perfectly nullifies Cooper’s.

Blaine’s body screams as he tries to fight it. It's infuriating, enough to send someone insane if they were left like this long enough. If Blaine could just turn his hand around slightly, if he could just stretch his arm a little more then he could encase him in a force field, do _something_ , but it's almost like he's glued to the spot, his body trying to push through the thick sludge around him.

Tick Tock walks calmly towards the last remaining shooter, unbothered by Cooper who is running towards him in painful slow motion, and lifts the gun out of his hands. Blaine is screaming on the inside, his body refusing to obey him while every fraction of an inch seems to take him an eternity.

He saunters towards Cooper and informs him gently, "I don't want to kill you." Cooper tries to aim a swing at him but before he's managed to pull his arm back, Tick Tock is already laughing and walking away. He's enjoying this too much, prolonging it as long as possible. "Look at you, the hare has become the tortoise. How poetic."  He laughs again at his own joke before aiming his gun at the remaining hostages. "I could shoot them instead. And there'd be nothing you could do about it. But I don't want to kill them either. Never had any intention of killing them. They were just the bait to get you here and it worked!" He laughs again, loud and heartless.

Blaine's hand is almost there, just a few more inches. He doesn't even know what will happen if he forms a force field around him but it's about the only thing he can try right now.

"No, I don't want to kill you. I want to _destroy_ you."

Just a little more, just a couple more inches. Blaine is sweating at the exertion, his arm a white hot mess of pain from being shot but he keeps pushing.

Tick Tock points the gun at Cooper's legs. "I'm going to pick you apart piece by piece until you're nothing more than a writhing mess at my feet."

Just a fraction more, his palm almost on the target, but Tick Tock already has his finger on the trigger, his hand can't move fast enough to stop him, he’ll be too late.

"This might sting a bit." He shoots.

Blaine forms a purple orb around his brother instead, the bullet deflecting off with a ping. Tick Tock swings his head round to face Blaine, still almost frozen to the spot. Gone is the sick amusement from earlier, replacing it is cold fury and Blaine has no choice but to stare him down. He stalks towards him and there's nothing Blaine can do, nothing he can move quick enough to stop him with. He can't even close his eyes when the barrel of the gun is placed directly on the centre of his forehead.

A purple blur smashes through him, sending him toppling sideways. Blaine jolts forward, the effects of his time bending lifted as Tick Tock lays crumpled a few feet away. Cooper rolls the force field he's still encased in towards Blaine as he tries to make sense of everything, but the fact that he's alive seems to be the only thing he can grasp right now.

The force field. Nothing can penetrate them, not even the effects of Tick Tock's power. Cooper can move while _inside_ them.

There's a frustrated howl coming from the now wrinkled white suit on the ground. Blaine's thoughts are racing. If his effects are useless against anyone within the force field then...it's time to finish this. Blaine puts up a shield, containing Tick Tock within. The villain stands, fury raging behind his eyes. He snaps his fingers. Nothing happens. Blaine can finally slump in relief.

It’s over.

* * *

His room is littered with boxes as Blaine tries to sort through everything. His books and clothes are already neatly packed away but everything else he just can't seem to focus enough to organise properly. He has a court hearing the next day, he and Cooper both have. Despite what they did, despite how many people they saved, what they did is still illegal. Blaine knows how this goes, having been through it once before, though for a much more minor infraction. They won't gain a criminal record or get into any _real_ trouble, but they'll be asked to leave, they'll have to move again, so Blaine is already packing his things, ignoring the fact that he'd finally begun to feel like he could be happy here, trying not to acknowledge everything he's going to be leaving behind.

There's a knock on his door. Blaine sighs, he just wants to forget about that day entirely but Cooper is hell bent on bringing it up every chance he can get when Blaine just wants to be by himself.

"What is it?" Blaine calls, not having the heart to tell him to go away, not after the amount of near death experiences they'd both recently shared.

The door is pushed open and Blaine looks over his shoulder to see Kurt standing there looking almost as nervous as the first day they'd met.

"Hi," Kurt says, Blaine spins to face him, heart pounding. They didn't get a chance to speak after everything happened, Blaine had been whisked away to give a statement to the police before his and Cooper's court date was set. He has no idea what to say, where to even begin explaining himself.

"Hey," is all he can reply with.

"I, um, I wanted to say...what you did, it was the bravest thing I've ever seen and...and I-" Kurt says, stumbling over the words. Blaine eyes begin to fill, he doesn't want to leave.

"Thanks."

There's a brief moment, a moment of indecision, a moment of what ifs carried by the silence around them until Kurt finally breaks it, taking two bold steps forward and kissing Blaine wholly and completely. Blaine _melts_ into it, like he's been waiting his entire life for this, like he stared down the barrel of a gun just for this exact moment.

When Kurt pulls away it's like he takes a piece of Blaine's heart with him and he knows now he'll never be complete without him.

"You really do have a thing for superheroes don't you?" he jokes and Kurt smacks his arm playfully as he drops his head on Blaine's shoulder, his own shoulders shaking with laughter.

"You are the most oblivious person alive."

Blaine bites his bottom lip, completely smitten and trying not to think about tomorrow and what will happen after the hearing. Everything is going to be taken away from him, including the one thing his entire being has been aching for ever since he first laid eyes on him. It's not fair. Kurt smiles, and Blaine for the life of him can't work out why when his own heart is crumbling inside his chest, turning to ashes.

"What's with all the boxes?" Kurt asks innocently, pulling away slightly from their embrace. Blaine closes his eyes as he lets his breathe escape him.

"Kurt," he starts, knowing that what he's about to say is going to hurt a lot more than getting shot in the arm. "You realise what's going to happen now, right? Now that people...know." Kurt's face is blank, he shakes his head slightly, eyes never leaving Blaine's. "We're not allowed to use our powers. We're not allowed to let anyone know about us and we're _definitely_ not allowed to fight supervillains in the middle of malls."

"But you saved -"

"I know, but Kurt this is still _illegal_. Superheroism is against the law no matter how much good you do."

"But…no, it's not right, you-" Kurt eyes are beginning to brim with tears. Blaine looks at his feet, knowing that if he looks at Kurt he would break. "So...so you're leaving?" With a sigh, Blaine nods in affirmation, slumping onto the corner of his bed and idly picking at the small pile of posters he had been attempting to sort through. "When?"

"Soon. I don't know when exactly. Cooper and I have a court hearing tomorrow and no doubt they'll decide to reassign us elsewhere. I expect we'll be gone by the end of the week."

"But they can't do this, they -"

"They can, Kurt. The public decided years ago that they were better off without Supers so...that's it. We disappear."

"I don't want you to go." Kurt takes a seat next to him, gently taking his hand within his own. "We were supposed to go to prom and dance all night together and then afterwards you were supposed to kiss me and I was supposed to tell you that I'm crazy about you and then you'd pretend you had no idea this whole time and - "

Blaine cuts him off with a kiss. He doesn't want to hear it, his heart already aches enough with all the could have beens. All he wants now is Kurt but the time he has left with him is rapidly slipping away like sand through an hourglass.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Finn is asking him, lingering in his doorway when all Kurt wants is for him to be gone already. He doesn't seem to realise that even his merely standing there is enough to give offence, inadvertently rubbing it in that Finn gets to have a normal prom by simply wearing his tux in Kurt's presence.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Is this because of...look I know you sorta liked that Blaine kid and all-"

"Goodbye, Finn," he asserts.

With a sigh his step brother eventually leaves, allowing Kurt to get back to his copy of Vogue. It doesn't do much to improve his mood, all it does is remind him of his own prom outfit, the one that Blaine hadn't wanted him to wear. The first few weeks after Blaine left it was all that kept him sane, He had no intentions of wearing the thing, but the repetition of threading the material through his sewing machine was enough to take his mind off everything for a while. Now all it does is sit on the mannequin in the corner of his room mocking him. He's going to need another tub of ice cream.

He tries not to listen in on what's going on downstairs, he knows it would only torture him, yet he can't help but hear Carole's coos at how handsome Finn looks and his dad's supportive clap on Finn's back. He should be down there, dressed considerably better than Finn, getting ready to enjoy his first prom with an actual date. The universe really does have it out for him.

He tosses the magazine away and lays sulkily on his side, willing Finn to just leave already. When the front door finally closes behind him, Kurt lets himself relax just a little, out of sight, out of mind. He can pretend now that it's just a normal night, that Finn is out on a date with Quinn and that everyone he knows isn't currently out having the best night of their school lives. He was never one to fall for these ridiculous high school clichés, but prom was the one thing that he's always kind of secretly wanted to experience, that he's fantasized about since he was a kid, playing dress up with his mom.

Not long after Finn leaves, the doorbell rings and Kurt outwardly groans. Of course the imbecile would forget something, probably Quinn's corsage. He lets his dad handle it, knowing there's no need for him to go downstairs.

"Kurt!" he hears his dad call from the bottom of the stairs a few moments later. "There's someone at the door for ya." Screwing his eyes up, Kurt wills himself the strength to get up. If it's not Finn then the only person it could possibly be is Mercedes, she'd been insisting they go stag together despite the various ways he'd come up with of telling her no. He just can't face watching all of the happy couples gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes, not tonight.

He goes downstairs, practising how he's going to convince Mercedes that he's not going on his way down. His dad is looking at him weird when he gets to the bottom, smiling, but not in the sympathetic way he had been for the last few weeks, ever since...ever since.

He heads to the door, cursing himself for thinking about him again, for allowing his face to fill his mind once more.

When he sees him standing sheepishly on his front porch, Kurt's convinced his mind has finally lost it. His heart goes on strike while his brain scrambles to understand what's before him. All the while his stomach is doing somersaults because _Blaine_ is standing there looking so much like a 1950s Hollywood movie star while Kurt stands in his sweats, ice cream stains decorating his tattered _Hummel Tires and Lube_ shirt.

"I hope I'm not too late, there was a lot of traffic."

"You...You're." Blaine grins, holding up the bouquet of red and yellow roses for Kurt to take.

"I promised to take you to prom, didn't I?"

* * *

Cooper is waiting for them in his car outside, having been the one to drive Blaine back to Lima, hollering as Kurt and Blaine finally emerge from the Hummel household, ready for Prom.

When they arrive at McKinley hand in hand, it feels as if the entire school has stopped to stare at them. Kurt isn't sure if it's the kilt or the fact that his date has super powers.

But nobody says a word regarding Blaine and Kurt's always happy to steal the limelight.

There had been a news blackout afterwards but nothing could stop the rumours from spreading so of course the entire school knows, the entire town knows what happened, that two brothers, descendants of famous superheroes from back in the day, had saved all those people. Despite this, everyone seems willing to keep his secret. No one would know that Blaine Anderson was back in Lima.

They dance, Mercedes and Tina's voices harmonising perfectly from the stage. Kurt didn't think it possible to have a night as perfect as this, is still not convinced that he isn't dreaming but if it is a dream then he never wants to wake from it. All around them are couples dancing and for once Kurt isn't watching from the side-lines with a lonely, fragile heart. He has someone to share it with, he has Blaine, who he has been slowly falling in love with ever since he first heard him tickling the piano keys in the auditorium one afternoon.

"What happened?" Kurt asks hesitantly as they slow dance, caught up in only one another, "after...?" It's the first time either of them have broached the subject all night. Despite the perfect evening, he can't deny the need he has for answers.

"The court ordered us to leave," Blaine says simply as they sway together. "New city, new school, new identity...I'm sorry I took off without saying goodbye properly but we were given 24 hours to leave and there was a lot to take care of."

It had hurt when Kurt had received nothing more than a text saying goodbye but he had understood that there was so much going on, things that were far bigger than himself. He just wishes that there had been _some_ contact at least but it was like Blaine Anderson never existed in Ohio, nor in his life.

But none of that matters now, because Blaine is _here_ in Kurt's arms and they're dancing together at prom as if there is no such thing as superheroes or time bending maniacs who tried to kill them. And Blaine seems so much happier, so much more confident now that he's not hiding any more. It's like he's finally opened up, letting Kurt past the hardback cover of his walls and letting him see the mammoth of detail hidden on the pages within. He can see Blaine for all he is now.

When the night finally draws to an end, Kurt's heart is heavy. He doesn't know if, or when Blaine will come back, the risk is just too high, and he really doesn't want to say goodbye so soon.

Cooper drives them back to Kurt's. He doesn't say much, which is uncharacteristic of him, but Kurt is glad to be able to simply enjoy being in Blaine's company, holding his hand in the back seat as they trade shy smiles.

They walk slowly up the path to Kurt's front door, neither of them voicing how much it's going to hurt when they have to part.

 "I'm in New York now," Blaine mentions in a hushed whisper, like it's a secret that can only exist between the two of them and, Kurt supposes, maybe that is the case. He's not sure exactly of the protocol involved in a Super's relocation but if he's had no contact from Blaine since he left then it's likely not to be information that should be shared. He wonders how much trouble Blaine could get into for simply turning up in Lima again, but barely anybody has paid them the slightest bit of attention all night. If anyone so much as looked at them for longer than necessary then one of the glee club had been there to intervene. "There's been a lot of progress there recently in campaigns for a fairer treatment of Supers so my parents thought it would be the safest place."

"New York..." Kurt says wistfully, his heart has always seemed to want to pull him there and now, Kurt thinks with elation, it seems his heart has gotten there before he has. In a year Kurt will be there too and...maybe they have a shot after all.

"Cooper loves it, even if mom has had to enforce a 9pm curfew for him. She doesn't want him getting into any more trouble." Kurt smiles at the idea of Blaine's brother, a 25 year old man, having a curfew. "I doubt it will last long, trying to stop Cooper from being a hero is like trying to stop the rain from falling."

"What about you?"

"I'm not a superhero."

"Could've fooled me."

"I'm just going to try and get through high school first I think," Blaine says with a barely disguised grin, like the thought of him being a superhero is insane. Kurt can't imagine why, he's seen what Blaine can do.

"I guess it's a good idea not to get kicked out of New York before I get there."

Blaine pauses, his mouth is parted with a small frown as his eyes search Kurt's, like he's waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"You...you want to come to New York?" he says and Kurt wants to laugh and punch him at the same time.

"Blaine I've had my sights set on New York since I was six, you couldn't keep me away if you _tried_. And it can't hurt that there's a familiar face there waiting for me can it?"

"I-I don't know what to say I..." Blaine struggles to find the words. "I thought I'd have to say goodbye to you after tonight, I didn't know-"

Taking his hand, Kurt leans in and kisses him under the porch light.

"I'm never saying goodbye to you."

 


End file.
